The present invention relates in general to golf clubs, particularly putters, and to apparata used to evaluate or reveal the true balance of such putters.
The game of golf has been the recipient of numerous gadgets and ideas to try and give the amateur and weekend player an easier time in mastering the more difficult aspects of the game. Club faces have been modified with angles and grooves, weights have been selectively placed and exotic materials have been tried. The variety of golf balls and their surface-texturing is seemingly endless. Golf putters have been designed with unique contours, dots and lines for sighting and with various length shafts. While some of the gadgets and ideas have proven effective for amateurs, as well as some professionals, many have failed.
One aspect of the game of golf which is not in dispute is that the swing and stroke of the clubs should not be adversely influenced by conditions beyond the golfer's control. Much time is spent by a golfer in learning how to address the ball, the proper stance, how to draw the club back, shifting of the weight, the swing and follow through. There is a generally regarded proper way to do each of the foregoing yet if the golfer's equipment does not cooperate with the golfer's physical movement, the techniques will be harder to master and the game more erractic. For amateurs who generally do not play with the same frequency as professionals, there may not be enough time to master these various movements, especially if the golfer must first identify and then try to correct the adverse influences due to his equipment.
The putting stroke is not really any different than the swing of woods and irons. When putting, the body needs to remain still and the stroke smooth and aligned. A common fault in putting includes pushing the ball either left or right of the desired line to the hole. One critical aspect in the design of a golf putter is the balance of the putter and the ability to keep the face of the putter square to the ball when stroking. If the putter is weighted in such a way that it acts against the normal movement of the golfer's putting stroke or swing, such as by rotating about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the chances of a mis-hit, pushing or pulling the ball are greater. If the putter has a tendency to turn or rotate in the hands of the golfer as the putter swings, due to poor balance, then the face will more readily turn out of squareness at the time of impact with the ball. The result is that the ball is pushed off from the desired line of travel. If this poor balance results in the putter curving in or out from a true follow through in the vertical plane of the line of sight, then the mis-hit is exacerbated.
While true balance for a putter is important, with the proliferation of putter styles it is virtually impossible for a golfer to know which putters have a true balance and which putters do not and thus will result in adversely affecting their game. Many putters today have excessive weight and a non-balanced nature, and thus the golfer has to both stroke the ball and at the same time try to adjust for the movement of the putter which is due simply to the pendulum swing and the imbalance characteristics.
The present invention provides an inexpensive and novel approach for testing the balance of golf putters. Any golfer interested in testing his or her current putter or whenever evaluating the purchase of a new putter, the present invention readily reveals the degree of imbalance and whether or not the non-balanced nature of the putter is of sufficient magnitude to adversely affect the putting stroke, especially through the critical zone of impact with the ball.